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February 8, 2013 by: Stephanie Harrington

A Child’s Introduction To Poetry Review

Having great resources is a must for any homeschool. Every once in a while I come across a book that won’t be at the local library. I buy it because it’s so good that it’s worth the investment as an asset to our homeschool. Usually these types of books have value now and for years to come. A Child’s Introduction to Poetry by Michael Driscoll  is one of them.  I am very impressed with it. It’s diversity and depth on the subject of poetry was both inspiring and comprehensive.

Having a CD helps to know how each poem should be read.

Having a CD helps you to know how each poem should be read.

At first I wasn’t sure it would be worth the cost, it’s available from Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers for $19.95. But after delving into it I had absolutely no regrets. In fact, the CD alone was well worth the price, giving us 64 tracks of well performed and entertaining poetry. The book is hardback so that it will last the test of time making it an excellent investment. Then after working on the information inside, I realized the content of the book itself. It would be providing us with poetry study, not just for this year but for many years to come because there is just so much in it to discuss and learn.

This book is divided into two sections:

  1. The Rhymes and Their Reasons
  2. Poetry Greats: Rulers of Rhyme, Legends of Lyric, and Superstars of the Spoken Word

The Rhymes and Their Reasons section covers several popular types of poetry:

  • Nursery Rhymes
  • Nonsense Verse
  • The Villanelle
  • The Limerick
  • The Haiku
  • Narrative Verse
  • Lyric Verse
  • The Ballad
  • The Pastoral
  • The Sonnet
  • Free Verse
  • ABC Poems
  • Riddles
  • Epitaphs
  • Shaped Poetry (Poetry where the words fit into a shape related to the verse for visual appeal.)

For every poetry type there is at least one example and for shorter poems there are often many. In addition, a description and brief “lesson” are offered about the type of poem. The history is also given; telling when this type of poetry became popular and how it evolved. It tells what pattern is present and highlights its unusual or particular quality.

The second part, Poetry Greats: Rulers of Rhyme, Legends of Lyric, and Superstars of the Spoken Word, highlights many famous poets. You almost have to study the poet with his poetry. This book includes both ways of studying poetry, by type and author, which makes this book different than many other poetry books. Here is a list of the variety of authors so you can see how diverse it really is:

  • Homer
  • Shakespeare
  • John Milton
  • William Blake
  • William Wordsworth
  • Elizabeth Barret Browning
  • Edgar Allen Poe
  • Emily Dickinson
  • Walt Whitman
  • Christina Rossetti
  • Robert Frost
  • Robert Louis Stevenson
  • Rudyard Kipling
  • Hilaire Belloc
  • Carl Sandburg
  • W.H. Auden
  • Langston Hughes and more!
The book is packed full of artwork and instruction tidbits for doing a little here and a little there. So you can break the book down into many mini lessons!

The book is packed full of artwork and instruction tidbits for doing a little here and a little there. So you can break the book down into many mini lessons!

We really like that the book is fun and we can learn about poetry at our own pace over time. The illustrations by Meredith Hamilton are charming and whimsical and appeal to both boys and girls of all ages. They are truly fantastic. They make each poem spring to life with interest and facilitate fun and inspiration throughout the book.

How we use it:

We often listen to the poetry CD in the car. This helps my child get inspired by poetry and become familiar with the poems in this book. It’s really terrific for those days when I can’t get a formal writing lesson in. We generally visit the book a little each week as part of our language arts program. When I can teach directly, I like to pick one of the forms and read about it. Then after looking at the examples we break them down a bit making particularly sure we discuss the pattern. Sometimes we can apply what we’ve learn by writing our own poem.

I can happily recommend this book to you since it is so complete, well done, and simply a delightful way to enhance any language program with poetry study. It’s a great “spine” book for poetry lessons that you can branch off from. It is also perfect as a resource book on poetry: looking up authors, types of poetry, and their history. It’s a book that you can visit over the years as your children grow, picking the poems to study that will interest them (and  you) over time.

Written by Stephanie- homeschooler of 10+ years with an eclectic homeschool style. Influenced by Charlotte Mason and the Classical Education model. Check out her creative approach and more @ Harrington Harmonies  and Nature Notebook or find her on facebook and twitter.

Hearts and Trees: Art, Handicrafts and Nature Study for your Homeschool

Stephanie Harrington (31 Posts)

Stephanie was a military spouse for 20 years and has homeschooled for more than 20 years. She and her husband of 25 years retired from the military and settled back home to their native state of Iowa where they continue to homeschool their youngest child. Her homeschool style is eclectic with Charlotte Mason and classical influences. When she isn't teaching, writing or moving she enjoys sightseeing, gardening, and cooking.

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Comments

  1. Ellen, the Bluestocking Belle says

    February 8, 2013 at 10:13 am

    What a wonderful treasure! Oh, how I wish I’d had this book when the girls were younger. Great review!

    Reply
    • Stephanie @ Harrington Harmonies says

      February 8, 2013 at 10:51 am

      Thanks Ellen. We’ve been loving it and using it all year! This week we read Paul Revere’s Ride by Longfellow as part of our American Revolution study!

      Reply
  2. Lisa says

    February 8, 2013 at 6:12 pm

    How opportune, I have been looking for something to use for poetry this year. What ages would you say this would be best suited to? Many thanks

    Reply
    • Stephanie says

      February 8, 2013 at 6:45 pm

      I think it’s perfect for all ages. For younger children it’s wonderful as a read aloud. Older children can read it independently or listen to the CD. For learning about the poetry types its ideal for 3rd grade through middle school.

      Reply
      • Lisa says

        February 8, 2013 at 8:01 pm

        Thank you for replying Stephanie, I have added that to my shopping cart. BTW The Book Depository has it for US$20.93 but that includes free postage. There was also another book/CD that caught my eye … Poetry Speaks to Children by Elise Paschen, which might make a nice follow-up to this one.

        Reply

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